The Mountain Chef: Mint and dijon lamb, a twist on traditional

The snow continues to fall and it’s stacking up to be another epic season here in the High Country. We have been fortunate enough to have powder days under our belts going into December! The lights in Summit are shining a little extra bright. Now that we have all survived T-day and have had a chance to take a breath, it’s time to start bringing in the rest of the holiday season. And yes, once again, these upcoming holidays are full of delicious opportunities for sharing wonderful dinners.

Here is a bit of a twist on some traditional flavors. Memories of dinner where my grandmother always served good old mint jelly alongside her succulent lamb. Even though I have moved on past the mint jelly, I still really enjoy those flavors coming together, so here we will use fresh mint leaves. Lamb has a history with the flavors, such as mustard, involved in these recipes. The chutney’s sweet and savory profile is a rich accompaniment to the mint and mustard. And don’t feel limited to only using lamb with this preparation. Other options, such as chicken, pork and even tofu offer other nice alternatives. Similarly with the garlic snap peas, feel free to experiment with other vegetables using the same methods and concepts. Have a great holiday season!

3. Meanwhile, in a baking dish mix together the grapes, tomatoes, onions, soy, wine, 2 T oil and salt and pepper and place in oven, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Adding water if too dry.

4. Pre-heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Remove excess marinade from the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Add a enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan then add lamb. Cook evenly turning only once until golden brown and desired temperature is reached. Remove lamb from pan. Add chutney and water if needed to the pan over medium heat to remove the flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan(deglaze).

5. Serve lamb with chutney.

1 head cauliflower

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 T butter, unsalted

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 garlic clove, minced

dash of nutmeg

dash of cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

minced chives for garnish

1. Steam or boil cauliflower until soft, drain.

2. In a food processor add all the ingredients and pulse until pureed.

3. Place back on stove and cook until hot.

4. Top with chives.

4 cups snap peas, stems and veins removed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T shallots, minced

2 T white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

1. Preheat a saute over medium high heat, add oil to coat the bottom of the pan, add the garlic and shallots and saute a few seconds then add snap peas and saute 1-2 minutes then add wine and season with salt and pepper cook another 30 seconds.